When doing consecutive numbers you have to think about how you get to the next number when counting. If I start with 5, I have to add 1 to get to 6, and add 2 to get to 7. This is the same way we do this problem except we don't know the starting number so we use x.
x + (x + 1) + (x + 2) = 117 Combine like terms
3x + 3 = 117 subtract 3 from both sides
3x = 114 divide 3 on both sides
x = 38
x + 1 = 39
x + 2 = 40
The question wants the smallest number, x = 38
